Life, 1915-08-05 · page 11 of 44
Life — August 5, 1915 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The top illustration depicts two figures swimming underwater, captioned "Little Lobster: Oh, Mamma, what beautiful fish! 'Beware of them, Edmund. They are dangerous animals.'" This appears to be a satirical cartoon about religious prejudice, using sea creatures as metaphor. The accompanying text criticizes someone named "Tummulty" (likely Joseph Tummulty, Woodrow Wilson's secretary) for allegedly promoting Catholic interests while serving in a Presbyterian-dominated government. The satire suggests Tummulty's loyalty to Rome conflicts with his American duties. The bottom cartoon shows two figures negotiating over a car purchase—straightforward commercial humor with no apparent political content. The page primarily addresses anti-Catholic prejudice in American politics circa WWI era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Little Lobster: ow, MAMMA, “BEWARE OF THEM, EDMU? States? Go chase yourself, dear man; nothing of the kind! The Tumultys no more wish the Pope to rule the world than you want the Presbyterian Board to rule it. You don't, do you? Isn't Dr. Wilson as much of the Pres- byterian Church as you would care to have govern this country at this time? Isn’t the present Cabinet just as nearly a Presbyterian Board as you could bear? Surely! You may bet your next month's salary that that is just about the way the Tumultys feel about the Roman Catholic Church, Don’t im- agine that they are over-cager to put it fiber alles. They want to say their prayers the way they are used to; but beyond that, how much? Are they happier in countries where there are more Catholics? Are they better prospered in those countries? WHAT BEAUTIFUL FisH! THEY ARE DANGEROUS ANIMALS.” You see, brother, the Pope to the Tumultys is a habit of mind, like the Board to you. You were raised to regard the Board, they to regard the Pope. But you and Tumulty both have other habits—allegiance to Uncle Sam, respect for the police, obedience to your family’s true head—and just as your Board habit has to accom- modate itself to all these other habits, so likewise is it with his Rome habit. Dear Presbyterian brother, there surely are some bats in your reverend belfry. You should try to get them out, so that you can think more in accordance with actualities and men more as they are. Tumul far as you know or as we know, is a decent, upright man, from whom the same sort of behavior is to be ex- see so 231 pected as from any upright Presby- terian, But here you are suggesting that he must be a sneaking rascal be- cause he is a Roman Catholic. Cleanse yourself, brother, of such attitudes of mind. They are ‘not sound and cer- tainly not worthy of you. S.A. A Camp To Train Officers THE instigators of the training camp at Plattsburg Barracks hope to get a thousand recruits for the mili- tary summer-school course they offer. The course begins August oth and ends September 6th. Its aim is to train officers. It hopes to teach civilians enough about an officer’s duties to make them appreciably more le than ordinary green hands to be second licutenants in an emergency army. Young men who take the time and trouble to go to this training camp may at least be confident that their pain will be taken for a well-sel pur- pose. Competent officers are what is most needed for a new army. They cannot be made overnight, and without them raw troops cannot be licked into shape. A month's training will not go far to make an officer, but as far as it goes it is energy applied at the right point. HE SCANDAL-MONGER is the submarine of the human race “WHAT KIND GOING TO BUY?” “TH ONLY ONE AFFORD! OF A CAR ARE YoU KIND I CAN comicbooks.com